Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-31
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 81, 1887.
Anldeal City.

An 1deai Cltys
Los Angeles is evidently destined to
become the ideal city of the American
continent. 1t is true that its praises
have been proclaimed until to many
they NAV seem trite. But so many
changes are constantly pressing upon
each other that the charm OF novelty
is never lost in referring to its phe-
nominal merits and attractions. Even
old residents can with difficulty keep
themselves informed of the city's pro-
gress, while newcomers are entirely
bewildered in attempting to study the
present condition and probable future
of the city. In fact, not until this
time has it been possible to predict
with any degree of certainty what the
city's future would be. While many
poetic temperaments have often here
fofore beheld and described in fancy
and fanciful language the COM
ing glory and splendor OF
Los Angeles, it is but
now that the city's real character IN
the era of its full development could
be discerned by the practical eye OF
the unimaginative. As stated in the
outset, however, it now appears with
out doubt that Los Angeles is des-
tined to become the ideal city OF the
continent. Enough can now be seen
to render thisa certainty. The dreams
and fancies OF the most romantic are,
it would seem, to be more than real
lied. In considering this, without re-
ferring to other improvements and
features, the single development OF
the line OF settlement and
travel from the seashore to the Sierra
Ma DIRE mountains, is something ex-
traordinary. A few years ago, or
even one year ago, the suggestion that
Los Angeles and Pasadena would yet
be one continuous city, was regarded
as picturesque dream, fitted only to
provoke a good-natured smile OF
incredulity. Yet day before
yeste rday (Monday) track-laying was
com menced on the Los Angeles and
Raymond Railway Company's line OF
street railroad from this city to the
X aymond Hotel, in Pasadena, which
line of road, when completed, will
virtually throw the two cities into
one. And this event, SO important,
tn at few years since, it would have
been the sensation of days, passed
almost unnoticed, so accustomed have
our people become to the beginning OF
i'm portant enterprises. With this line
of street railroad finished, there will
be a continuous line of street-car SER
vice from beyond the extreme western
limits of the city, to the northern
boundaries of Pasadena. Street cars
already run from Pasadena to the
Raymond Hotel. And this is not all.
It is proposed to run line of
street railway from Pasadena
all the way to the foothills
at the mouth of Eton or Precipice
cafion, to connect with the railway to
be built up to the top Of Wilson's
peak, at the summit of the Sierra
Madre mountains.
To the fact of continuous line OF
street cars running from the western
limits of Los Angeles to the other side
of Pasadena, with the improvement
and population that this fact implies
throughout this whole great distance,
il requires in addition but a very
slight stretch of imagination to picture
to the mind as reality the ideal city
of Southern California, reaching from
the sea-beach at Santa Monica to the
mountains at Sierra Madre, and com.
manding the summit OF those noun
tairs at an elevation OF over sever
thousand feet, in an hours travel by
means of the Wilson's Peak Railway
And this now as well as assured
reality will establish Los Angeles no
only as the typical ideal city OF South
ern California, but it may well claim
the palm Of superiority from the whole
continent. Excluding all other char
scteristics of our city and viewing onl.
this one feature, where else can on'
find lines of street railways stretching
for twenty miles through city OF sucf
diversified attractions and advantages
Santa Monica with its splendid beach
and live-giving ozone; the interven
ing stretch Of magnificent country
tie city itself crowning the foothills
Highland Park, Garvanzo, Pasadena
With their wooded heights and spark
ling streams, extending to the mount
ains-snow-clad in winter-with the
SOW 1t that season in an hours travel